Former Qwest executive Marc Weisberg says others at the company engaged in the kinds of activities outlined in an 11-count criminal indictment against him, and that Qwest knew of and authorized the conduct.
The first glimpse of the defense planned by Weisberg, indicted in February on eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, came in a Sept. 1 filing by his attorneys in U.S. District Court.
“Weisberg will demonstrate that many individuals at Qwest engaged in conduct similar or perhaps even identical to his own, that Qwest knew of the conduct alleged in the indictment, and that Qwest authorized investments that the government now contends victimized Qwest,” the filing said.
Prosecutors allege Weisberg made $2.9 million for himself, family members and friends by demanding shares of vendors’ stock in return for doing business with the company.
The alleged deals occurred between 1999 and 2001, when Weisberg was a senior Qwest official overseeing mergers, acquisitions and investments. The government wants Weisberg to forfeit the $2.9 million and other assets.
He has pleaded not guilty on all counts, and his attorneys filed a sealed motion last week to dismiss the indictment.
Staff writer Greg Griffin can be reached at 303-820-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com.
